22, 2019, he instructed that the name of the Vatican Secret Archives be changed to the Vatican Apostolic Archives. His answer was decisive: The Vatican's archival files must be opened, the truth must be known and any errors must be acknowledged.Īs Pope Francis, he showed his desire for transparency when on Oct. Their names and verse 3:8 from the book of the prophet Amos - which states that a person of faith, like the prophet, cannot be silent in the face of malice - prompted me to tell Cardinal Bergoglio that I could not in any way accept Pius XII's passivity. Perhaps this policy saved many people's lives, but how many others died because of it? My parents had told me the names of their uncles and cousins who were murdered in the death camps, names that I later discovered in the various official records about that unspeakable time. Our conversations frequently touched on the responsibility that Jews and Christians share not to stand idly by when people are being oppressed or persecuted.įor our chapter "On the Holocaust," he listened to the questions that most disturbed me about the public silence of Pope Pius XII. We spoke heart to heart.īecause of our trust and openness with each other, we were able to explore even the immensely painful subject of the Shoah. We simply expressed our ideas and beliefs while respecting and trying to deeply understand the ideas and feelings of the other.
It instantly became clear to me that we both shared Jewish philosopher Martin Buber's vision of the search for God: human beings can only approach God through our relationships with other people. Jorge Mario Bergoglio's reply was that we should instead write one about the things that challenge and confront the everyday lives of ordinary people. I remember the moment I suggested that we might write a book about God. We had already enjoyed many lively dialogues, so we decided to render them into written form. Refusing to acknowledge and prepare affects our country’s ability to be ready for a future war that would extend into space.Thirteen years ago, the then-cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires and I began to ponder topics that were later presented in our book On Heaven and Earth (Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra). Space contains real threats and adversaries, and it needs military solutions. The Administration downplays the reality that space is a warfighting domain. Instead, the Departments of Defense and Energy repeatedly delay programs to modernize our nuclear deterrents and restore the basic industrial capabilities we use to produce nuclear weapons. Given these threat conditions, one would expect a sense of urgency on the part of our government – a fundamental reassessment of our assumptions and realignment of our resources. Each country has dangerously taken out satellites in orbit, creating thousands of pieces of debris and space junk, endangering hundreds of other satellites.Īnd frankly, those brazen and irresponsible acts of aggression only scratch the surface of their real capabilities. In the space domain, China and Russia are openly developing and testing counter-space capabilities. Just last week, news reports exposed Beijing’s purchase of 28 tons of Russian uranium, which could be used to further its weapons production. General Cotton recently notified Congress that China now possesses more ICBM launchers than the United States. And China has become the third country to develop a strategic triad of nuclear missiles, bombers, and submarines. The Chinese have flown a missile that can drop nuclear warheads from orbit anywhere on earth, with virtually no notice. Over that time, China’s nuclear arsenal has doubled in size. The past 18-month period has given us a good idea of China’s remarkable growth. Beijing is modernizing and expanding its nuclear forces at breakneck speed. The story out of China is also very troubling. These are weapons for which we have no defense. Russia has developed new nuclear weapons unlike anything in the United States inventory, including nuclear-powered, trans-oceanic, autonomous torpedoes, and intercontinental cruise missiles. It can also build numerous additional nuclear weapons in short order. Moscow possesses a larger and more modern nuclear arsenal than we do. Domain menu for The Greenwood Commonwealth (main - mobile)ĭespite its significant setbacks in Ukraine, Russia remains a major nuclear threat to the United States.
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